Nikolai and Fate were having in a fight going toward the limousine. Or rather Nikolai was angry.

"How could you not even feel his presence? It's crazy !"
Fate came down the stairs ignoring him.
"I can't believe it he's your soulmate, and you don't look very excited"

Still no answer.

Nikolai ended up irritated by his indifference "But what were you doing all this time huh?"

Fate turned to him with a red face "I was scratching my !"

He walked on leaving Nikolai puzzled. When Ignis passed in front of him he asked "You who knows everything tell me, he saw it or not his soulmate?"
Ignis ignored him too.

"Why are you all ignoring me !?"

Taemin right behind them could not wait to get home and sleep. Key had told him not to want to rush things with Nikolai so he was not going to sleep at home. The fact that the Nikolai has agreed to give their relationship a chance was enough for him.

When Taemin reached the door of the limousine, Kai behind him (who after tearing up his suit to turn into a wolf, was wearing a tracksuit) opened it before him inviting him inside.

Taemin blushed remembering their kiss a few minutes earlier.

"Thank you." he mumbled before climbing.

When it was Yoona's turn to enter, she closed the door and turned to the Alpha.

"What are you playing at ?" she asked, narrowwing her eyes.

Kai didn't answer.

"You ..." she looked at him from head to foot like confused "you dye your hair, you ..you play with your appearance ? I have never seen you act like this, is it for this shaman ? Why? what do you expect from him, we are married Kai !" she saw Kai expression change "and don't tell me that I am unfaithful, you incited me ! You told me to go elsewhere because you would never give me love I need, nor the attention so why this shaman !? " she pointed at him "I warn you before it goes further Alpha If your relationship with this shaman exceeds physical attraction, I ask for a divorce and take the girls with me!" she went up into the car and took one last look at his outfit "but for God's sake look what you were wearing!"

She closed the door leaving Kai gaze at his appearance in the reflection of the window. Right he was never one to try to please with his appearance, but the Alpha didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

He touched his face in the reflection thinking that, on the contrary, he had never felt so much true to himself.

ᚪᛤᛄᛩᛊ

Taemin descended the stairs of his house 3 by 3 when he heard someone knock loudly at the front door. Eyes wrinkled and numb with sleep, he opened the door while lighting the light on the porch.

The sight of the Alpha woke him instantly. "Al ... Alpha ... what are you doing here?"

Kai looked at him for a moment before suddenly proposing "We're going for a walk ?"

Silence "Uh ..."

"Or eat something."

"Eat ?"

The Alpha was just as calm as the previous time they had meet each other, but this time his eyes seemed haggard, as exausted. 

"Kai ?"

At the mention of his name, the Alpha seemed less tense "So are we going ?"

"But it's 3am."

Silence.

Taemin watched him frown, then looking at the sky as if to check his words.

"Oh that's right." he said in a stoic voice.

Taemin finally noticed his messy hair and wrong buttoned shirt "Are you okay?"

"I .."

Taemin swallowed, tinking invite him inside but the Alpha stepped back.

"I was not sleepy, I figured it was daytime ... I'm sorry."

Had he never had insomnia until now ? Taemin wondered again how the spell separating them had affected Kai.

"It's nothing, come inside the house I'm going .."

He stopped talking as Kai left without a goodbye. Taemin sighed and closed the door thinking that he didn't really understand this man. Like at all.

Kai took a few more steps once he was out of the property and slowly slid to the floor on the sidewalk. No thought came to his mind, no emotion. He just needed to sit alone.

He was always asked by others why he was so detached from everything. His pack, his wife, his childrens. He had no idea and to be honest it didn't bother him at all. But since this Shaman had come into his life things had begun to change.

He had begun to change. And he didn't know if it was a good thing.+++

"The Alpha is your soulmate ?!" Nikolai squeaked his bread in hand sitting near Key at the table.

This morning the residents of the house woke up loudly when they felt the house tremble. When Nikolai went outside in a hurry, Key was in the garden in a bad state.

"Idiot, you felt that I had sealed the house to prevent strangers from entering why you persevered, look at you now !" Nikolai admonished him.

Smoke coming from his clothes, Key struggled to catch his breath before articulating "I thought you changed your mind ... that you had specifically forbidden me."

So he risked his life to enter?

" Idiot, did you also think it was one of my tests you had to go through?"

Key turned his head away, jaw tight. This answered his question.

Now Key was silent sipping his coffee. He didn't care about the discussion, seeming to be content to be near Nikolai.

"Yes," Taemin answered while making bacon and pointed to his temple "my scar even disappeared."

"It's amazing .." Nikolai looked at Key "yours too?"

Key nodded.

"Your powers have increased tenfold?" Nikolai asked.

Taemin nodded, "For sure, they are." he waved next to Nikolai "I don't know who this woman near you but since morning, but she keeps giving you plant recipes for stomach aches."

Nikolai looked at the emptiness next to him on the verge of panic.

"I also know that a hundred ghost are hiding from me..and prevents others from contacting me. Like Leila."

"Who is Leila?" 

"A little girl I met the first week I settled in. I thought she was shy with you all settled here when she didn't show up anymore."

"Let's settle everything in its own time, you say there has to be a ... breach to take the spell out?" asked Nikolai.

"That's what the Seer told me," Taemin replied.

"And how do we know if we have a breach ?"

Key answered this time to Nikolai "Generally it's due to the proximity of our soulmate."

"Oh ... then could the Alpha be free on his own?" asked Nikolai.

"It doesn't work all the time." Key answered.

Taemin shook his head "Let's wait for now, we'll see what happens, and his visit at 3am disturbed me a bit."

"The poor guy must feel some sort of connection between you, especially his wolf."

"You mention it as if it were two different people."

"It is, a legend says that the first Shaman united the souls of animals to those of certain humans to preserve the animal race, and today we call them Shifters."

"Oh..so I have two soulmates."

"Is it a problem ?"

"It's...disturbing rather."

Nikolai nodded as if he understood. He ticked when he saw Key staring at his belly.

"What ... what?"

"Nothing." he turned his face away "I didn't bring you chocolate thanks God."

"What do you mean ?" Nikolai looked at his belly, which gave a glimpse of a little bump "that's ... it's ..." He ends up frustrated "bring me chocolates next time, that's the least you can do for me ! "

"Yeah yeah." Key answered,looking at the ceiling.

Taemin smiled, turning his bacon back into the pan. "You get along well."

Nikolai seemed taken aback "Not really."

"I have a question." said Key cutting short their discussion.

"Um yes ?" Taemin asked.

Key showed Ignis sitting right next to him staring at him "Who is this, why is he always where Nikolai is?"

He was silent before Nikolai laughed loudly.

"So what, are you jealous?"

"No."

"Yes you are, if you had your wings right now they would be beating furiously."

Key didn't contradict him "So who is this ?"

"Ignis."

Taemin saw him understand.

"Impossible."

Nikolai didn't expect that "Sorry?"

Key looked at Ignis again "I agree that by being your book he must be very ... advanced compared to the others, but I would put my hand to cut that he has a mind like you and me, you didn't see him when I locked him in my cell. "

"What did what ?!" Nikolai seemed on the verge of discomfort "you used the torture piece i created on my book !"

"I didn't know who he was and at that time ... I was not right in my head."

Fate chose this moment to go down the stairs and without looking at anyone, sat down on Ignis' knees.

Silence.

"..."

"Is he all right?" Taemin asked softly as he saw Fate staring at Ignis with black eyes as if challenging him to say something.

"Last night I had to use my powers to put him to sleep, do you believe me if I tell you that at midnight he was squatting on the ground scratching the door like a cat who wanted to go out? "

"He couldn't leave?" asked Key.

"No because I sealed it magically."

"And why did you do that?"

"I have to protect my ba..my ... well, in short, he could not go out, and he mumbled like 'do not be scared I'll take care of you' or 'I love red hair blah blah blah '. "

At this remark, Ignis moved slightly.

"He feels the need to see his soul mate again," Key answered.

"Ah, so he saw it, why didn't he say anything?" asked Nikolai

"He must have his reasons. And Taemin also feels the lack of soulmates."

Nikolai watched as Taemin nervously kicked his foot .

"Taemin .. how are you feeling ?"

"I manage." replied the man with a tense smile.

Nikolai looked at Key "You've also been released recently how come you're so calm?"

Key shrugged "I'm used to this lack."

Nikolai didn't answer.

"When does the ruler arrive?" asked Fate finally.

"This morning I presume?" Taemin answered, "Besides, I would need Ignis's help to take care of the garden if he agrees."

"If I agree and yes you can." Nikolai cut off and then chuckled "hey."

"Hm?" said Taemin.

"If you're a part of me, do you imagine if we had the same soulmate? Or if we are all four linked and we do some sort of .."

Taemin dropped his dish on the table and turned to Nikolai. Blazing flames covered his body, burning his flesh and leaving only the bones as he said in a deep voice, "The Alpha is mine."

They all froze as Fate started running to the exit instead of teleporting " this i'm out!"